Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 Summary

Chapter 2: The narrator has known Neeka since they were babies, and they live across the hall from each other. D was different; she just appears on their block one day. D's initial appearance "just caught something in me. Made my heart jump a bit" (p. 23), according to the narrator. D's odd clothes, "white-girl clogs," and strange coppery hair color all seem foreign to the narrator. The girls introduce each other, with Neeka in particular interrogating D about her clothes and where she came from. D says she's an only child, and that she was attracted to their block by the pretty trees. The narrator and Neeka are jealous of D's seeming ability to roam around town wherever she pleases. D leaves to go to the bus stop, and Neeka tells her to bring a jump rope next time so...